Fri, Mar 19, 2010
Good afternoon! I’m excited to announce that the lovely ladies at Kind Over Matter have coordinated with the ladies at Spring to do a set of affirmations!
Hop on over to Kind Over Matter to see the affirmations the four of us came up with (here’s a link to mine).
And now, back to a lot of work for the new Jess LC launch, only 10 days to go…
Fri, Mar 19, 2010
After my post went up last week, Jess and I started going back and forth emailing about how I was feeling. I wanted to share (with her permission) one of the emails she wrote back to me because I think there is so much goodness in it. So much goodness!! I know it will be helpful to you guys too.
Ashley,
I’m glad that my perspective seems to be helping. You will do a great job, but you have to start. If a baby waited until it was perfectly poised for velocity to walk, it would never get there. He starts with a dirty diaper, indigestion, and slobber all over his face. But he smiles the whole time and bumps his head – a lot. He cries. He takes naps. Then he rolls over, and tries again. I think this might be a stronger visual for you to think of as you get started. Sure, a foundation is awesome, especially one based on personal character (which is why I always bring up 7 Habits). But please don’t get too caught up in feeling perfect or even “good” to begin.
As you said, just do it! What is the one baby step that you can do today that will help get the ball rolling? Do that one thing. Then ask the same question tomorrow. Repeat. That’s really all there is to it.
Here’s something else to consider about perfectionism. Sure, you are older than I was when I started, so you have a lot of experience and will be able to launch with a much better business than I did at 15 years-old. My business started with the name “Starlette Jewelry” and hot pink and black business cards – with stars all over them. This was my first piece of jewelry which began the business. The fact is: no matter where you begin, you will inevitably improve your business as you go along. So to expect any kind of perfection in your business this time around is impossible, and also distracting you. (If you have your “life” figured out, do ballet, paint, acupuncture, flossing, etc., etc. you won’t be left with time to work on the business!) You think it’s investing in you and your business, but it’s really taking you further away. The ego is a tricky thing; lots of plans, checklists, to-dos, must-dos, should-dos. All you need is just do!
What gets my hands dirty and out of the land of “one day/what if” is the vision I have for the business. It is so juicy, exciting, colorful, tantalizing, and aligned with my purpose that I feel any time that I’m not getting closer to that vision is a disservice to myself and to the world. (Please don’t think this means I don’t take time off, I certainly do quite a bit. But I spend my “working time” accomplishing this purpose and vision.) I know my business alone will not bring me happiness. My business is a vehicle for me to support myself and reach women and help them through my real purpose and message, MML. And that brings me a deep, penetrating sense of satisfaction. If I died tomorrow, I know I did everything I could to share the lessons I’ve learned (up to this point) via the blog. And that is an exceptional feeling. You want to improve peoples lives by creating beautiful experiences. Start creating those experiences now. You do not need to wait for your life to fall into place. As you fulfill your purpose, life unfolds on it’s own.
You have so much potential it is a shame to cover it with a host of things you “need to do.” I’d suggest making under those expectations in order to reveal the lasting satisfaction that your purpose alone will bring you. No amount of flossing, eating plans, workouts, meditation, de-cluttering will bring you the same sense of peace. And the longer you put it off, the more doubt and insecurity you will feel. Stop suffering and put one foot in front of the other.
Because I love you and want the best for you, I feel I can say this with concern and understanding to how you are feeling. I have been in your exact shoes four years ago. Right before I discovered my purpose about ‘making under.’ You owe it to yourself and the world to push past these barriers and move forward.
So be like a baby and learn to walk 
.
Jess
Amazing, right?! She is so right on about this stuff. My favorite part is when she says that her business is a vehicle for her to support herself and reach people with her real purpose and message. Sometimes I get so caught up in believing that every single thing I do has to be profound and life changing. Well that is just crazy thinking on my part. Everything will not be profound…in fact, most things will probably be pretty normal and routine. But the normal and routine stuff can be the backbone of my real purpose. It can support my message as well as put food on my table.
So after all of this discussion with Jess I decided to make a change in lat week’s commitment to paint 30 minutes a day. I switched to working 30 minutes a day on my business. It was a good choice for me. Eventually I would like to go back to painting 30 minutes a day but this new practice was so effective for me that I am choosing to continue it this week. I was able to get a few things done that just felt overwhelming to me before. I purchased a new domain name and mapped it to my trial blog space. I designed a new blog header and installed a new blog template. Part of what I have decided to do for my new business is wedding invitation design…I spent some time working on new designs. And I have to admit that IT FEELS GOOD!
I already shared this image on my own blog but I thought it was perfect for this weeks post too. This was a simple watercolor painting that I did during one of my 30 minute painting times. It’s true don’t you think??
Onward and upward!
Thu, Mar 18, 2010
Happy Thursday! In honor of the spring weather we are having here in Chicago (with a high of 68* today!) I thought I would re-post one of the happiest and most colorful DESIGN YOUR LIFE interviews we’ve ever had here on MML by Katie of Color me Katie. Enjoy!
(From July/9 2009)
This week’s DESIGN YOUR LIFE (DYL) is about Katie of Color Me Katie, writer of one of the happiest blogs I have ever followed. Katie is a wonderful photographer and street artist (I suppose that is a good word for her random acts of kindness). This interview actually came about from a (first ever) reader request. Claire, a friend and MakeunderMyLife reader, told me about Katie’s blog and asked me to connect with her about DYL so she could learn more about Katie’s intentions.
Katie was extremely kind and agreed to sharing her intentions and some of her awesome photos. As I suspected, I was inspired myself to shake things up in my own routine after reading her thoughts. This morning I will not be eating cheesy oatmeal. It sounds like a small step, but I happen to have a serious addiction.
Read on!
It’s important for me to express myself creatively every day. I have all of these fun ideas in my head and if I don’t get them out I’m pretty sure my mind would explode. Realistically, I’d probably just get frustrated and fall asleep. But explosion or no explosion, doing something creative acts as a therapy for me. I feel better after taking photographs, making street art, painting, or making wall sized collages. The messier and more sweatier I get, the better I feel.
Well, not completely anyways. I think it’s important to keep that little kid inside of you. I see a lot of people turn into grumpy old men that just complain about everything. I know that we’re all adults and we have important adult-like things to do but that doesn’t mean we have to let go of that playful side of ourselves. I’m still all about blowing bubbles, running around in the rain, and playing with my food and I always will be!
I hate the idea of getting up, eating breakfast, and going to work the same way every day. It eventually gets boring and I will not stand for boring! I want to wake up to a day that is always new, so I make sure I change it up a bit. First of all, who made this rule that for breakfast we should eat cereal. If I wake up and want spaghetti, I’ll make spaghetti. Whenever I leave the house I go a different way each time. I walk down a new street, ride the bus, take a different train, or hop on a forklift if I can find one! Even if it’ll take me longer to get there, I don’t care. I just always want to see something new.
It’s raining again? Wonderful! It’ll make the flowers grow. I got paint on my favorite coat? Great! I can turn it inside out, sew on new buttons, and make it better than before. There’s always a way to find something positive in a situation you would normally think was negative.
There are some days that can feel so long but it makes it a lot easier to get through if you give yourself a gift. I always like to give myself something little like a cupcake, a flower, balloons, or an iced coffee at my favorite cafe. It’s not expensive and it’s a lovely little pick me up during the day.
I’m not perfect, I know that. I have this thing where I trip at least once a day and somehow my dress will always find a way to fall down at the most inappropriate moments. I say the wrong things at wrong times and only have laughing attacks when I’m alone on the train, which makes me look like a crazy person. I used to be really embarrassed of myself when I was younger but now I find all these little things to be funny and they make me who I am. The next time my dress accidently falls down at a funeral it’ll fall with pride!
Check out past DESIGN YOUR LIFE interviews.
Wed, Mar 17, 2010
Good morning! Today I’d like to share something I haven’t discussed here on MML: health and self-employment. Though I am certainly no expert, the following is what I’ve learned so far while being self-employed.
(Very) fortunately I’ve been blessed with good health and a proactive sense of responsibility. As an active 25-year-old non-pregnant woman, I have several positive health factors on my side for a low-ish cost of health care. So what works for me won’t apply to others in different situations. That said, here’s what has worked for me so far.
As a full-time designer, I pay for my health insurance myself. Over the past three years this fact has given me a very conscious understanding of the (financial and physical) “value” of wellness. I recognize the impact a healthy lifestyle can have on my bottom-line and bottom-line (Anyone notice the pun? Ha… Ha.)
I run, lift weights, don’t smoke, drink (relatively) moderately, and eat as well as I can without sacrificing too much. All the things they say you “should” do. Since I’ve done those things most of my life, none of them were directly correlated with my quest to keep health care costs low. But now I have a better idea of what these actions are actually saving my bank account.
In terms of health insurance, I have chosen a relatively high deductible plan with a lower monthly premium. This gives me a monthly health insurance bill under $170.
I also have an Health Savings Plan (HSA) which is a tax-free savings account for health purchases and fees. I deposit money in this account yearly and use a HSA debit card when I go to the doctor or order contacts.
In order to save on my monthly premium, I don’t have dental or eye care included in my health insurance. Overall, this has worked well so far. In the future I might add these features to my plan.
To save money on eye care, I had my mom order a year supply of contacts before I moved to Chicago. And though I’m not particularly proud of it, I wore the contacts past their two-week expiration in an effort to save money. Eventually I ran out of contacts and shopped around my area for an affordable eye exam and contacts. My money from the HSA covered the bills.
But then there are my teeth. Though I had all forms of orthodontia for most of my childhood (braces, retainers, head-gear!, you name it), I went a full three years without seeing a dentist. I know, I know. I should have gone to see a dentist sooner. Every six months. I know. But up to this point, I honestly didn’t make the effort or save the money for this very important part of my body.
That said, the proactive sense of responsibility I spoke about earlier definitely has worked overtime in my dental care. I now have a regular flossing habit. I also use a Sonic Care toothbrush three times a day. Pretty good, right?
Well, last month when I decided it was time to grow up and see a dentist. I was faced with these choices:
What was I to do? Should I get dental coverage for $360 a year – which would save me $$$ if I had a cavity. Or, should I risk it and pay just $266 for the appointment and x-ray out of the HSA?
It was a tough call.
I ended up forgoing the dental health plan and paid for it myself. Fortunately, all that flossing and brushing paid off. I didn’t have a cavity! It was a tremendous feeling. A real accomplishment. Though I don’t plan (or recommend) going three years without a dentist appointment, I am so thankful that those healthy habits helped my teeth and my checking account.
So all I can say to those starting a business is: floss your teeth.
Tue, Mar 16, 2010
Good morning! As you might guess with only two weeks until the launch of the ‘new’ Jess LC, I have a lot to accomplish. I’ve been showing the new Chicago collection, Division, to store buyers. I’ve also been working to upload the new and existing jewelry onto the new website platform, printing new packaging supplies, finalizing the lookbook and video, and coordinating a new payment provider (To PayPal or not to PayPal? That is the question.).
Once the new Jess LC is revealed, I promise I will share this whole journey with you here on MML. Since I know many of you are small-business owners yourself, you might be interested to know who helped make my vision a reality. I’ve chosen to keep most things underwraps to this point because I don’t want to bore you with unfinished details and because the unveiling will be that much more exciting.
That said….
If you’d like to get on the Preview List for the three pre-launch emails with behind the scenes details about the new logo, design inspiration, photo shoot, fashion blogger/Jess LC model, and a preview of the new Division collection: comment on this post or email me (jess@jesslc.com) with the subject line “Preview List.”
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